Silo-bracing system



J. M. HOUFF.

SILO BRACING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED m1. :2. 19m.

,3 1 6,895 Patented Sept. 23, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET lv THE COLUMBIA PLANOGIIAPH ca WAIHINM'ON. o. c.

J. M. HOUFF.

SILO BRACING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED FEB- 12. I918.

1,316,895. PatentedSept. 23,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JACOB 1V1. HOUFF, 0F MADISON, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO PETER I4.

HARGETT, 0F FREDERICK, MARYLAND.

SILO-BRACIN'G- SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 23, 1919.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JACOB M. 1:10pm, a citizen of the United States, residing at Madison, in the county of Madison and State will have the least possible number of joints so that the objection incidental to a multiplicity of joints will be avoided. To this end the improved construction comprises what may be termed a continuous cable brac ing, in that the cable runs continuously or unbroken from end to end, being looped aboutthe devices by which it is attached to the upper part of the silo, and also looped about the gripping devices connected with stays anchored into the ground at some dis tance outside of the base or foundation of the silo. The present invention is an im provement on the silo bracing system covered bymy U. S. Patent No. 1,220,227, granted March 27, 1917.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of a silo with the improved bracing system applied thereto. Figs. 2 and 3 are broken out elevations of the silo, from the front and back thereof, respectively, illustrative of the present invention. Fig. 1 is an enlarged detail view of one of the lower gripping or holding devices and a part of its attached stay rod, looking, for example, in the direction of the arrow 4 in Fig. 3. Fig. 5, is a detail view of the gripping device shown in Fig. 4 looking in the direction of the arrow 5 but with the cable in section. Fig. 6 is a detail view of a pre ferred form of attaching device for the upper looped parts of the cable, with the holding washer and nut omitted, and Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the same with the holding washer and nut in place. Fig. '8 is a detail view of a modified form of holder for the lower looped parts of the cable.

The silo 12 herein illustrated may be of any usual or well-known construction and will preferably consist of a series of staves strongly held together by encircling bands or hoops 13.

The cable 14, by which the silo 12 is braced or guyed, has a suitable connection at one of its ends with the silo at or near the top thereof, as the invention is herein shown, this connection being made by any suitable gripping or clamping device 15 which, in the present instance, comprises a bolt 16 passing through the silo body 12, a cup-shaped member 17 adapted to receive a bight of the cable 14, a washer 18, preferably of less diameter than the top of the central recess of the cup-shaped member 17, and a nut 19 which may be screwed down on the bolt 16 to clamp a bight of the cable in the said central recess of the cup-shaped member. Owing to the inwardly sloping wall of the cup-shaped member 17 the bight of the cable, which when first placed in said cupshaped member will be loose in the recess in said member, as shown in Fig. 6, will be forced inward toward the bolt 16 when the nut 19 is screwed down to force the clamping washer 17 against the cable, so that the bight of the cable within said cup-shaped member will be securely gripped by this holding device. The cable may thus be securely attached atone end to the silo body at or near the top thereof, and, in the c0nstruetion herein shown, it runs to a lower gripping or holding device 20 which is adapted to hold a bight thereof, thence to another upper holding device 15, thence to a second grippingor holding device 20, thence to a third upper holding device 15, thenceto a third lower gripping or holding device 20, from which it extends to a fourth upper holding device 15. Itwill thus be understood that the cable runs continuousl from its first point of attachment to the silo to its last point of attachment thereto, and therefore no splices or joints arerequired between the ends of the cable.

Any suitable form of gripping or holding device for the lower bights or loops of the cable may be employed, but a preferred form of such gripping or holding device is shown in Figs. 4 and 5, and this gripping or holding device consists preferably of a.

through the sleeve part'2l and having" a threaded upper end to which is fitted a nut 25 which may be screwed down totight en the, cable let after the lower end of the rod.

24 has been suitably anchored in the round,

outside of the base of the silo; as will be understood from Fig. 3. I r 1 Insteadof using the form of lower holdingzdevice 20. just described a simplerform of lower holding device, such as that shown inflFig. 8 may be employed. This modified form of holding device, which-may be of malleable iron or any other suitable material, comprises a sleeve portion 21 having at one end-a hooked bracket. 22 around whichfa lower .bight or loop of the cable 14: may be passed, as'will be understood.

7 Fromthe foregoing it will beseen that the present improved silo bracing system conslsts of a cable, runningcontinuously from its first to. its last point of attachment,

through suitable upper and lower holding or gripplng devices,'and that, intermediate of its'end points of attachment, no splices or; cable joints are required. 7 4 While, in. the construction herein shown, the ends of the cable are shown as being attached to the silo, at or near the top of the latter, it will be understood'that the invention is not limited to this manner of attaching or securing the ends of the continuous cable,- as the ends thereof might be held by lower gripping or holding devices similar to or performing the'functions of .the lower gripping devices .20, and in such case will be looped around suitable upper holding or gripping devices, such, for example as the devices 15 hereinbefore described. I s

In the, preferredembodiment of my in .vention herein shown it will-beunderstood (see Fig. .1) that the continuous cable has four points of attachment to the upper part of thesilo, and threeanchoring-connections with the ground, and that said Gable runs directly and alternately from the upper holding devices to. the lower holding devices without intermediate attachments to the silo.

dates as its pateixt nay-ts assets-r The gripping or holding device herein shown, and consisting of the malleable iron sleeve 21 and the bracket 22 integral with said sleeve and having the open. cars 23 which may be closed against parts of the cable after the latter has been laid in the recesses afforded by said open ears, is particularly well adapted for use with a continuous cable, in that this construction facilitates the looping of the cable into this openeared gripping or holding device, as will readily be understood.

Having thus described my invention I claini and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. The combination with a silo or the like,

of a bracing therefor consisting of a cable running con'tinouslv from its first to its last point. of attachment, a plurality of cable holding devices'at or near the top of the silo, and a plurality of lower cable holding;

or gripping devices connecting lower bights or loops of the cable with devices anchored tothe.ground,"said cable running directly and alternately from theupper holding devices to said lower holding devices without intermediate attachments to the silo.

2. The combination with a silo or the like, provided near its top with a series of upper cableholding devices, of a bracing therefor consisting of a cable attached at its ends 3. A cable holding or: gripping device, for I i use in connecting a,bight of a silo bracing cable or guy with the ground, consisting of a malleable iron sleeve member, adapted to receive an anchoring rod, and a bracket part 7 integral therewith and having open ears adapted to receive a bight or loop of the cable andfto be closed against the cable part-s to grip the same. I i

In testimony whereof I afiix my? signature.

JACOB M. HOUFF;

centseach, addressing the (lbmin'issionei (if litnts, Washington; D; 0. 

